Honoring the Fallen
The Los Angeles City Fire Department held its 47th annual Memorial Day service Thursday on the South Lawn of City Hall in honor of firefighters who have died in the line of duty.
The ceremony was at the Cenotaph, a permanent memorial built in 1944, and was attended by friends and families of the victims as well as representatives from other fire departments and city agencies, including City Fire Chief Donald O. Manning and County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman.
With bagpipes playing in the background, the names of 48 firefighters who died in the line of duty from 1906 to 1984 were read.
Manning noted that no firefighters have died in the line of duty since 1984.
After a prayer, representatives of 15 departmental organizations placed wreaths at the base of the monument and widows placed red roses.
Thursday’s ceremony culminated with three Fire Department helicopters flying in a “missing man” formation as a bugler played Taps.
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